Sport

Looking Good - Ja's medal prospects on a high

Veronica Campbell of Jamaica ( third left) races with (left-right) Mercy Nku of Nigeria, Lucimar Aparecida de Moura of Brazil, Christine Arron of France, Alenka Bikar of Slovenia and Geraldine Pillay of South Africa compete during the women's 200 metres fourth heat at the World Athletics Championships in Helsinki yesterday. Arron finished first in the heat, while Campbell was second and de Moura third. - reuters

helsinki, finland

BRIGITTE FOSTER-HYLTON and Delloreen Ennis-London could each snatch medals for Jamaica in tonight's women's 100-metre hurdles final of the 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Jamaica have already won one gold and two silver medals at the meet.

Ennis-London and Foster-Hylton upstaged a host of world stars in the first two semi-final heats of the sprint hurdles.

Foster-Hylton, the silver medallist in 2003, was impressive in semi-final heat two. Showing delightful speed between the hurdles she clocked 12.65 to easily register the fastest time of the semi-finals.

A faultless start pushed Foster-Hylton to her very good time in the rain.

"My coach is going to give me an A minus at least for the start. I am also quite pleased with my hurdling, all the hard work is paying off," she said.

Powering through after a slow start, Ennis-London clocked 12.79 seconds to win the first of three semi-final heats beating Mariya Koroteyeva of Russia, 12.80 and Sweden's Jenny Kallur who went down to a personal best, 12.85. Defending champion Perdita Felicien failed to advance from this heat.

Degree of ease

Vonette Dixon did not advance from semi-final three. She was fifth in 13.08 behind winner Michelle Perry of the United States who clocked 12.86.

Brandon Simpson reached his first World Championship 400m final with some degree of ease and will be a big factor in tomorrow's final.

He has shown power, speed and composure in his two rounds so far and could battle Olympic champion, American Jeremy Wariner, for the gold.

Yesterday, Simpson showed incredible power and speed to pull away from his rivals in the straight coming away with the second fastest time of the semi-finals. He won semi-final one in 45.53 easing up from American Andrew Rock, 45.78.

National champion Lansford Spence and Michael Blackwood failed to advance.

Spence was very listless and blamed the cold. He was seventh in semi-final heat two in a pedestrian 47.20 while Blackwood fought hard but went out after placing third in 46.25 in semi-final three. Only the top two finishers and the two fastest times advanced.

Teenage sensation, Usain Bolt, promised that he would go all the way and kept his word when he reached the men's 200 metres final.

Bolt, competing in his first IAAF World Championships, turns 19 on August 21 and a medal here would give him an early birthday present.

It would, however, be asking a lot to expect the 18-year-old to place in the top three against some torrid sprinters in tonight's final as he was the slowest qualifier at 20.68. The fastest is American Tyson Gay with an impressive 20.27 to win semi-final two.

The Americans seem ready to sweep the medals. They were one, two in semi-final one with defending champion John Capel and Wallace Spearmon. Gay finished ahead of 100m champion Justin Gatlin in the second semi-final.

Despite the odds the world junior record holder at 19.93 is promising a good run.

Good enough

"I am not used to the conditions but I will buckle down and try hard in the final. My best is good enough for me," Bolt said after his semi-final run.

Chris Williams was fifth in semi-final two and did not advance.

A headwind reaching up to minus 5.1 metres per second slowed the times in the women's 200m heats.

Most, including Jamaica's Veronica Campbell, took things easy.

Campbell has a slight injury worry and hitting top speed in this weather could have been suicidal.

The Olympic 200m champion thus allowed Frenchwoman Christine Arron to have her way in the last of four heats. Arron won in 22.89 as Campbell who barely went above a trot took second in 23.28.

Sherri Ann Brooks did not advance. She started well but faded in the straight against a 2.5mps headwind placing fifth in heat one in 24.20.

With a 100m silver in the bag and her pet event now under way the smile is returning to the face of Campbell. She is determined to show who is boss in the 200m.

"I have to stay very focused and confident as I am the Olympic champion," Campbell said after her heat. "My main aim is come out here and do as well as I did in the Olympics."

The fastest qualifier was Russia's Yuliya Gushchina who, despite the below 50 degrees wind chill and a 1.1 m/s headwind, ran a personal best 22.53. She will have to be watched. Race favourite, American Allyson Felix, was second in 22.68.

In the only final in which a Jamaican was involved yesterday long jumper Elva Goulbourne placed last of the 12 competitors. Her best, in her only legal effort, was 6.21m. Tiana Madison of the United States, 6.89m, won the gold medal.